Winnemucca Lake day hike

For several years now we have returned to the Woods Lake trailhead and hiked to Winnemucca Lake. On highway 88 just below Carson Pass, the trailhead is at 8,200 ft elevation. In late July, the wildflowers along the trail are usually incredibly abundant, with the hillsides carpeted with color. We usually pause for a break, and maybe lunch, at Winnemucca Lake and then continue on up to Round Top Lake at 9,200 ft.

We have done this hike early in the season, before the wildflowers are blooming, and it has a different beauty then, with the trail crossing snow and ice still in the lake.

It can be an out and back trip, or a round-trip by descending on the west side of the ridge, with views of Caples Lake, past some mining claims. This route seems steeper, so we like to do it on the descent.

There is a very obvious use trail up to the peak of Round Top (a little over 10,100 ft) and I keep thinking that some day I’ll get up there. It should be a spectacular view.

Links
—Winnemucca Lake 2009 photo gallery